Atlantic tropical cyclone activity typically picks up a bit during the first half of July. Since the current active hurricane period began in 1995, seven of 14 years (50%) have had a named storm form during the first half of July. The busiest first half of July occurred in 2005, when three hurricanes formed. These included Read This Blog Entry
Weather Underground Forecast for Saturday, July 04, 2009.
Europe will see areas of active weather on Saturday. A low pressure system will continue to spin in the North Atlantic, which will pick up abundant moisture and pour scattered showers over the British Isles. Most of these showers are expected to hit Ireland, while the United Kingdom will see milder conditions. London may see a few sprinkles with highs near 80(F)/ 26(C).
Meanwhile to the south, a ridge of high pressure will remain hovering over central Europe, bringing mostly warm and pleasant weather to the region. However, this system will create a weak front that will extend from southeastern France, into Germany and Poland, which will kick up afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Paris will see mostly sunny skies with highs in the lower 80s(F)/ mid-20s(C), while strong storms are anticipated over Munich with highs in the lower 70s(F)/ lower 20s(C).
In the Mediterranean, expect wet weather in the east, while the west will see plenty of sunshine. Rome may see strong storm development with periods of heavy rainfall, with highs in the mid-80s(F), upper 20s(C). Barcelona will remain sunny and pleasant also with highs in the mid-80s(F)/ upper 20s(C).
In the northeast, a low pressure system lingering over northwestern Russia will produce wet weather on Saturday. It will create a system that will track through Sweden and into Belarus throughout the day. Moscow will see cool conditions with a break in wet weather and highs near 60(F)/ 16(C), while Scandinavia will see periods of light rain and highs in the mid-70s(F)/ lower 20s(C).
The "Dog Days of Summer" officially begin on this date and end August 11. This period got its name from the Egyptian belief that the Dog Star, Sirius, added heat to the Earth as it rose and fell with the sun during this time period. On this date in 1966, the "Dog Days" were in full force as New York City set a record high temperature of 107 degrees.